A relatively new entrain to the instant coffee market is flavored instant coffee. Typically a flavored instant coffee contains a mechanical mixture of instant coffee particles, creamer base, sweetener base, and flavorings. Unfortunately, the rate of solubility of these individual components differs, such that the desired ratios of the components do not completely dissolve. For example, the creamer base typically comprises a fatty component and is therefore hydrophobic. As a result, the creamer tends to dissolve less completely or less rapidly as compared to the other components. This, in turn, leaves aesthetically unappealing clumps of undissolved instant coffee product floating on the top of the beverage or as sediment in the bottom of the drinking vessel. This hydrophobic property is also characteristic of other fatty materials, such as chocolate, whole milk solids, whole cream solids and flavor oils, frequently included in flavored instant coffee beverages. Other problems associated with known flavored instant coffee beverages include segregation of low and high density particles in the dry mix. Such segregation results in nonuniform ingredient composition between spoonfuls of dry product. This non-uniformity is particularly prevalent in products sweetened with an artificial sweetener.
While vigorous shaking and stirring of such an instant coffee solution may eventually result in a completely dissolved product, this is unsatisfactory for the consumer. The characterization of "instant" should connote ease of preparation, such as little to no stirring, yet result in a readily dissolved product.
Based on the foregoing, there is a need for an flavored instant coffee product that is readily and uniformly soluble. It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide an flavored instant coffee product that is more readily and uniformly soluble as compared to flavored instant coffee products wherein the creamer and sweetener components occur as individual particles in the dry product.